Fırat University is a public university located in Elazığ, Türkiye, with multidisciplinary research and education activities. At this event, the university is represented by Associate Professor Betül Çiçek Özkan from the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Technology. Our participating team offers expertise in biopolymers, biomass-derived materials, functional composites, nanomaterials and environmental applications, with a particular interest in contributing to Horizon Europe Cluster 6 collaborations.
Our research connects renewable resources and waste valorisation with the development of functional materials. We bring experience in polymer synthesis, composite preparation, materials characterisation, adsorption and photocatalysis. Published research provides concrete examples of this expertise:
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Biomass valorisation: isolation and characterisation of cellulose nanocrystals from horse chestnut and chestnut seed-shell wastes, demonstrating the potential to convert residual biomass into useful material resources.
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Bio-based adsorbents: development of cellulose–chitosan composites reinforced with graphene and investigation of their capacity to remove Basic Blue 41 dye from aqueous solutions.
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Pollution treatment: investigation of UV-C/ZnO photocatalytic degradation of Reactive Red 195, including the influence of operating conditions and degradation kinetics.
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Functional biopolymer composites: investigation of how graphene incorporation and crosslinking affect the structural, dielectric and bioactivity properties of chitosan-based materials.
These studies provide a foundation for contributions to Cluster 6 projects addressing circular bio-based systems, renewable raw materials, resource efficiency and pollution reduction. Our strengths include connecting material composition and processing with measurable performance, and evaluating candidate materials through laboratory research.
Our international collaborative experience includes participation in VERDEDRIVE, funded under Horizon Europe’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Staff Exchanges program (Grant Agreement No. 101179991; 2025–2028). The project investigates alternative feedstocks and by-products for sustainable fuel production. Fırat University contributes research on catalysts for green diesel production and collaborates with academic and industrial partners through joint research and scientific exchange.
In new consortia, we can contribute to biomass-derived material development, biopolymer and nanocomposite formulation, adsorbent development, photocatalytic treatment studies, materials characterization and experimental performance assessment. We can also support scientific dissemination, researcher training and knowledge exchange. We are interested in participating as a research partner and in leading tasks or work packages that match our expertise.
Our value to a consortium lies in combining published research on biomass valorization and environmental materials with experience in international collaboration. We seek complementary partners offering biomass and industrial side streams, process engineering, scale-up, life-cycle assessment, industrial validation and end-user perspectives. We welcome discussions with coordinators, universities, research organizations, SMEs and industrial partners developing proposals on circular bio-based materials, waste valorization and cleaner production.
